This Potato Pancakes Recipe is the best way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. This cheesy mashed potato pancakes recipe is well loved by everyone in our family. This is just about the only way that my kids will eat mashed potatoes and by “eat,” I mean they wolf them down!
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There’s just something about that beautiful cheese pull with each one that makes these completely irresistible. Potato pancakes are quick and easy to make and have the simplest ingredients.
Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest and YES, it’s totally worth it to make mashed potatoes just to have these potato pancakes! P.S. Don’t miss the sweet little taste test with my son at the end of the video!
Watch How To Make Mashed Potato Pancakes:
All that melty cheese! I want these all over again. Seriously my friends, these are GOOD! I love how forgiving these potato pancakes are. We usually wing it and “eye-ball” the recipe except for when we measured everything just for you!
Ingredients for Potato Pancake Recipe:
4 cups mashed potatoes*
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour (or up to 1/2 cup flour for creamier potatoes)
2 to 3 Tbsp chives, chopped
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
Light Olive oil or Canola oil to sauté
Sour cream to serve
*This recipe works best with mashed potatoes that are not ultra creamy and buttery, and if they are, you may need a little more flour for them to hold a patty shape. This recipe is not intended for use with instant mashed potatoes.
Time Saving Tip: Use a trigger release ice cream scoop, scraping the scoop against the side of the bowl to quickly and easily create uniform patties.
⬇ Print-Friendly Mashed Potato Pancakes Recipe:
Cheesy Potato Pancakes Recipe (VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed potatoes, *
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, (8 oz)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or up to 1/2 cup flour for creamier potatoes
- 2 1/2 Tbsp chives, chopped
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp Light Olive oil , or Canola oil to sauté
- Sour cream to serve
Instructions
How to Make Mashed Potatoes:
- Fill a 5 Qt pot with water. Add 1 Tbsp salt and peeled quartered russet potatoes (2 lbs or about 7 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered). Cook until easily pierced with fork. Drain well and mash in 4 Tbsp butter then let cool to room temp. Mashed potatoes can be made 1 - 3 days ahead.
How to Make Mashed Potato Pancakes:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups mashed potatoes, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup flour and 2 Tbsp chopped chives. Use a potato masher to mash the mixture together until well mixed. If the potatoes are too loose to hold a patty shape, add flour a Tablespoon at a time.
- Place a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture between your palms and form into a round, 1/3" thick patty. Dredge both sides of the pancake in bread crumbs and set on a cutting board. Repeat with remaining pancakes.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat with enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Once oil is hot, add patties in a single layer and sauté 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining patties, adding more oil as needed. I usually have 2 skillets going at once to finish sooner.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
If you try this mashed potato pancakes recipe, let me know!! Oh p.s. you can also use dill if you don’t have chives.
I happened upon your site completely by accident, and I couldn’t be more pleased! Growing up my next-door neighbors with refugees who emigrated to the US from Ukrayina, when it was still a country! She was always feeding me, but I was a kid; I didn’t remember the names of the recipes (never mind the Cyrillic! *grin*). YAY!!!
PS It’s so interesting to me how many recipes are “global” even though the global regions are not related! In Ecuador, there’s a recipe almost EXACTLY like this but with small cubes of mozzarella instead of shredded stuffed within the mashed potato “patty;” same ooey-gooey “pull!” They’re called llapingachos (ya-peen-GAH-chos – long “o”). 🙂
That is interesting! I’m so happy you discovered our blog! Welcome!
Hi Natasha,
My mom used to make something similar to these. She would separate the egg white from the egg yoke. Mom would beat the egg white till it was frothy, and beat the egg yoke, dip the potato patty in the froth then dip into the beaten egg yoke. Fry them, came out delicious. Light, but crispy. That’s how I’ve always made, but definitely going to try your recipe. Thanks so much!
My pleasure Sylvia! Thank you for sharing that with me!
I loved the mashed potato pancakes recipe. I added cooked bacon and they were awesome!! Everyone enjoyed them!!
That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing this awesome review with us, Laura!!
I decided that what I’ve been cooking recently is just so boring. I wanted to make our meals interesting. I came across your site on Facebook and tonight I made your potato pancakes ……..OMG they are so tasty , I did paprika chicken fillet to with them. I’m so excited to use more of your recipes.
I’m so happy to hear that, Toni!! I’m so happy you discovered our blog! Welcome!
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze?
Hi Hilda! These are freezer friendly! 🙂
Omg….these are so good. I have made potato pancakes for years..but for one reason or another they just haven’t been turning out lately. Made these yesterday….so good!
I’m so happy you discovered this recipe! Thank you for the great review!
I made the potatoes panbakes and they are delicious, thanks for the recipe
You’re so welcome Raul! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Would you think an air fryer would cook these just as well?
Also, has anyone ever added cooked bacon bits? It would be like a loaded baked potato!
That sounds like a great idea, Suzie! I haven’t tried it in an air fryer so I can’t say but please let me know how you like it if you experiment.
Forgot to respond. They turned out great in the air fryer.
What type of flour was used.. in england we have plain flour or self raising flour?
We used all purpose flour for this recipe. Which is a plain flour.
copy and pasted into word to print out as all the “pop-ups” are a huge nuisance.
Hi Colette! The print friendly recipe is at the bottom of each post. Once you scroll there, click on the print icon in that recipe card which will open a print screen, then you would need to click file —> print. I hope that helps! If not, please let me know exactly what steps you are taking and where you are navigating to print our recipes.
These sound so yummy . . . but I have a dumb question??? Why can you NOT use instant potatoes? Only 2 of us and I use Harvest Earth creamy mash potatoes from Costco. Always have leftovers from just one envelope – they are cooked with butter, boiling water and milk???
Hi Lannie! I don’t recommend instant potatoes because they are much too creamy and you would have to add excessive amounts of flour for them to hold properly.
been making these for years better with out the cheese use onions instead of chives but need to add a bottle of ketchup
Thank you for sharing that with us… but boy oh boy that’s a lot of ketchup.
I THINK she was trying to be “funny” – no such luck, lol.
Can you delete flour for glutten free?
Hi Salvie, I think a gluten free flour would work well in the pancakes.
The recipe says “2 cups (8 oz) of shredded mozzarella cheese”. I’m not much of a cook, so please clarify, as I’m an OCD man, and 2 cups = 16 oz. I could use 12 oz…but I would risk using too much, or too little, cheese. Thank you, in advance, for your kind attention.
Hi Slade! Great question. Yes, two cups of cheese is about 8oz in weight not volume. If you are measuring with a cup that would be ounces in volume vs weight. Hope this helps 🙂
I love your recipes.
I wish to know if I can use your recipes in our family cook book as long as I give you the credit for it.
Thank you
Hi Janis, that should be ok as long as it is a personal collection and not distributed for sale. Thanks for asking! 🙂
Can I put them in the oven instead of frying them in oil
Hi Barbara! Some of readers have baked these and said they enjoyed them that way. One reader wrote: “I sprayed them with cooking spray on each side and I baked them at 400F for about 7-8 mins per side. They were wonderful!”
I am wondering how many cakes are in a serving. Your recipe says a “Servings: 8 makes 22 potato pancakes ” but you can’t divide 22 cakes evenly into 8 servings. My mom has diabetes so I need to be able to figure out her carb count a little more accurately. Thank you!
HI Cassandra, it really depends on how large you mold the pancakes. It would be easier count-wise to make 24 slightly smaller pancakes then each serving would be exactly 3 pancakes.
Hi, I would like to make these, but I tend to burn things on the stove top, could I bake them instead?
Some of readers have baked these and said they enjoyed them that way. One reader wrote: “I sprayed them with cooking spray on each side and I baked them at 400F for about 7-8 mins per side. They were wonderful!”
Thank you ☺️
are they good cold for school/camp lunch?
Hi Zoya, I think these are best served warm.
Hi Natasha.
Can I substitute chives with something else like (parsley or dill). Did you try with something else?
I haven’t tried this with only parsley or dill but I know those options go well with potatoes.
Thank you. Tried it with parsley. Didn’t have anything else :). Came out delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!